"The disciples said to him, "'Where could we get enough bread in this desolate place to feed such a crowd?'" (Matthew 15:33)
In Matthew 15 Jesus has been teaching a crowd for going on three days. Their provisions had been depleted and Jesus tells the disciples to find some food to feed the crowd one more time before he sends them back home. The disciples response was natural, in one sense. They ask Jesus how they would find enough food to feed these 4,000+ people. However, in the previous chapter we read that not long before this event, in the same region, Jesus fed more than 5,000 people with only 5 loaves and 2 fish. These 12 disciples have now seen Jesus heal the sick, restore the sight to the blind, cause the lame to walk, walk on water himself, cast out demons, and teach the Scripture with such authority even the scribes and Pharisees were dumbfounded. Yet, here they are, a new challenge has come about and they once again wonder how on earth they will ever get through.
Before we get too hard on the disciples though, this sounds a lot like how we respond to challenges in our own life, doesn’t it? We have seen God do great, wonderful, even miraculous things. Yet, when the next problem appears, we wonder, "How will we make it through?" The answer for them is the answer for us, too. Trust in Jesus. Follow Jesus. Then give Jesus the praise and adoration that he is due.
Here are some other great celebrations of what Jesus is doing in our church, as well as our weekly financial update.
Important Coronavirus Update:
This past Wednesday evening we made a call late in the afternoon to cancel services for Wednesday night due to a possible coronavirus exposure on our campus. While the risk may have been minimal, we are continuing to do everything possible to keep our church family and friends safe as they join us for worship and other activities. We immediately were able to begin deep cleaning practices that are recommended by the CDC. We now know that there was no actual exposure on our facility through negative testing. This is a great praise! We simply want to share this with you to say that Hyland Heights, because of our great love for each of you, will continue to keep best practices in these regards for your continued safety and the safety of our community. Thank you for your understanding and prayers on Wednesday evening and we look forward to seeing you on Sunday as we praise God for His goodness!
Discipleship Happens Here:
Through the month of October over 73% of our church family on any given Sunday was also in a Life Group. This is the highest Life Group involvement that Hyland Heights has had in years and I believe higher heights will continue to be reached in the years to come. We are hearing incredible reports each week of how God is at work in many of our groups and if you are not a part of a Life Group yet, we invite you to jump into one this coming Sunday. For more information about Life Groups go to hhbc.net/lifegroups.
Missions Happens Here:
As of last Sunday, we have received over our $35,000.00 missions offering goal! Thank you for your amazing generosity and love for missions, so that the world may know Jesus! I have no doubt that God is going to use our faithfulness and generosity to reach many for Jesus through our IMB, NAMB, HHBC missionaries, and HHBC members who go on mission in 2021! Great job, church!
Family Fun Happens Here:
Our celebration from Fall Fun Night was that we had 700-800 people join us. In addition, over 70 of our registration cards indicated that those families did not have a regular church that they attend. These families have already been sent an invitation to join us and will receive personal calls in the coming week to invite them to be a part of what the Lord is doing at Hyland Heights!
HHBC Weekly Financials:
November 1st Weekly Offering: $28,851.75
Weekly Budget: $33,228.00
As of November 1st, we have received 103% of our year-to-date budget.
Please remember that giving in worship will continue to look different as long as Covid-19 persists. We will not pass the plates for your safety, but will have offering boxes at each entrance to the worship center where you can give as you enter or exit. For many, we know that you have started to give online, and this continues to be an excellent choice to make giving easier/safer for you and to make sure that the ministry and mission of HHBC continues to impact more lives in the weeks to come. If you would like to give to Hyland Heights online, simply go to hhbc.net/give.
Sunday Reminders: HHBC continues to strive to keep our church family safe during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. We continue to encourage everyone to take the precautions you would take when entering into any other building. If doing things like social distancing, washing hands well, and wearing masks can help us love our neighbors better and avoid potential spread in our church family so we can continue worshiping together in person, we should strive to do these things as much as we are able. We also want to remind everyone that the 9:30 service still has plenty of room for you and your family to join us while best maintaining social distancing. Thank you for your help and understanding as we strive to keep the people we love as safe as possible. For additional information on HHBC’s response to Covid-19 go to hhbc.net/coronavirus.
Celebrating the goodness of God,
Dr. Josh Carter
Senior Pastor